In spite of my posturing for all the fun it brings, I don't necessarily believe that the merger will be approved. However, if the merger does not go through, it does appear that Carly Fiorina and the Board of Directors will be compromised and HP will go through several months of chaos while the Corporation attempts to sort things out. All the plans for the next three years are based on the merger and there doesn't appear to be any planned options for mitigating the damage if the merger is not approved; and while I don't really like the idea of the merger, it may well be better for us all. Of course, if the merger does not take place, Ms. Fiorina will have a lovely lace crocheted golden parachute, and some of us believe she should seek the chairmanship of Enron so in the next two years they can merge with Arthur Andersen. * To join/leave the list, search archives, change list settings, * * etc., please visit http://raven.utc.edu/archives/hp3000-l.html *